The Rhine River

Random Notes

All writing and no play makes Nathanael a dull boy. That and dealing with the insurance company after I was rear-ended last weekend.

The delightful Claire has resurfaced on the blogosphere. She has tried to turn blogs into resources for researchers in the past. At her new home, We are still here, she combines her interest in early modern history and literature as she delves into the depths of Project Gutenberg to find hidden gems (here, here, here, and here). One post explores French emotions after defeated by Germany in 1870-1871. Another, the controversial aspects of an ex-slave's biography.

"The natives of the Republic": the legacy of colonialism has cast a long shadow over race and immigration in France -- at least from the perspective of scholarship. Le Monde has published several articles exploring recent literature on the persistence of colonial images and ideas. Some scholars would disagree: although colonialism and the war in Algeria are 'silences of memory' which the French public does not address, the legacy of colonialism does not explain contemporary racism.

Jamaica in Berlin: as the German parties make and uneasy march towards a grand coalition, it turns out that several deputies to the Bundestag from the Linkspartei were former Stasi informants. ISN has a thorough run-down of the electoral turmoil.

After enjoying RS:INXS all summer, I am glad that the NY Times has revisited the question of how much life bands have after their singers die. Perhaps losing a front person is a major blow to a band's career, but should that mean that a group of people who have played together for years, perhaps since childhood, must sit at home?

ETA: Berkeley has started up an on-line journal of German Studies, Transit, with its first issue, "Migration, Culture, and the Nation State". And a EspacesTemps, Juliet Fall looks at why Foucault has not exercise as much influence over French geographical scholarship as American.

posted by Nathanael @ 9:40 AM